Canadians woke up Friday facing the first-hand effects of a global IT outage that disrupted multiple industries, including banks, health care, border crossings and airlines. Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said the problem occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows — and that the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack.
While a fix is in the works and systems are slowly coming back online, the impacts of the CrowdStrike outage will linger for days, experts say, as it affects Microsoft 365 apps and services.
"The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed," the tech giant behind the outage wrote in a statement.
"We understand the gravity of the situation and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption. We are working with all impacted customers to ensure that systems are back up and they can deliver the services their customers are counting on."
After a full day of disruptions across Canada, here is a look at where things currently stand.
Airlines
For airlines, the outage predominantly impacted U.S.-based carriers such as United Airlines and American Airlines, resulting in numerous cancellations and delays. Porter Airlines, which operates flights across Canada and to some U.S. locations, had also been affected, as they initially cancelled or delayed all flights on Friday. However, the Toronto-based airline shared an update at 2:30 p.m. ET that they would be resuming operations.
All major airports across Canada continue to experience delays, and travellers are urged to check their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport.
Borders
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported a partial outage of its telephone reporting system, used primarily by small aircraft passengers and boaters, which has since been resolved. CBSA noted that no other systems are currently affected.
Earlier on Friday, Windsor police reported long delays at both Canada-U.S. border crossings at the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Current wait times at the Ambassador Bridge crossing and the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel currently stand at 30-40 minutes due to delays.
Health Care
British Columbia health authorities say the disruption affected its networks and computers across all systems. The five regional authorities all have notices on their websites, saying they have implemented contingency plans to ensure health-care services remain operational.
Toronto's University Health Network says the outage is affecting some of its systems, but clinical activity at its hospitals is continuing as scheduled. However, it warns that some patients may experience delays.
Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) also said some of its operations were affected but that all of its hospitals "are safe and remain open" including Hamilton General Hospital. HHS said some non-urgent appointments and procedures may be delayed and that it would be contacting those people who are affected.
The outage also affected the availability of some health-care services in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to a statement from N.L. Health Services.
Health-care provider Dynacare shared an update saying that as of 1 p.m. PST, they would be opening their B.C. locations, but that their Quebec, Ontario and some Manitoba locations remain shuttered.
Banking
Banks in Canada were "reviewing the situation based on updates from their technology partners," a spokeswoman for the Canadian Bankers Association said.
"Any current impacts on banking services would be temporary," Maggie Cheung said in a statement.
TD Canada is the only major Canadian bank that shared a statement that their services were impacted by the global outage, as customers reported problems online, such as with direct deposits.
To see how the global IT outage impacted Canadians throughout Friday, scroll below to see our Yahoo Canada live blog.
LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER16 updates
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Canadian health provider Dynacare reopens locations in B.C.
In an update shared to X on Friday afternoon, Canadian health care provider Dynacare shared their British Columbia locations will be reopening doors as of 1 p.m. PST.
Update: Our British Columbia Dynacare locations will be open as of 1 p.m. PST. Please check https://t.co/7Mw1WoquOo for location hours, and updates on other provinces. pic.twitter.com/RkX6CewkMV
— Dynacare (@Dynacare) July 19, 2024
Locations across Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba remain shuttered, with the provider saying "we are working to reopen as soon as possible" in an update to their site.
Dynacare (formerly Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories) is one of Canada’s largest, most established health solutions companies with a history spanning more than 50 years.
The health network provides services like collection and transportation of specimens, accurate testing, such as bloodwork, and prompt reporting of results to patients, healthcare professionals, hospitals, corporate clients and government agencies across Canada.
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Tech outage recovery could take days, Canadian cybersecurity expert says
In an interview with CBC News, Fredericton-based cybersecurity expert David Shipley warned it may take days for some organizations to fully recover from the outage. In addition, widespread global disruptions to airlines often take days to unclog.
He says the outage is likely the biggest disruption seen globally in over 20 years. Shipley says the outage is the digital equivalent of "the airbag in your car that you have to protect you from bad things going off unexpectedly while you're driving."
He said CrowdStrike is a major anti-malware and anti-hacking tool used by some of the biggest organizations in the world, including Microsoft, and it essentially had a bad update.
"The irony shouldn't be lost on anyone, nor should the sobering fact that had this actually been malicious, it would be even worse than what we're experiencing right now," he said.
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Canada Child Benefit payments may be delayed by global IT outage, feds warn
The Canada Revenue Agency started sending out Canada Child Benefit (CCB) payments on July 19, but after some recipients said they had not received their deposit, the federal government posted a warning that payments may be delayed as a result of the worldwide IT outage.
Minister of National Revenue Marie-Claude Bibeau took to social media issuing reassurance that the federal government is aware of "potential challenges some banks may encounter in delivering the payments" and will work with the banks to "ensure seamless transactions."
The CRA is not affected by the global IT outage and has sent out CCB payments to all eligible families.
We are aware of potential challenges some banks may encounter in delivering the payments and our govt will collaborate with them to ensure seamless transactions. https://t.co/gDMvywZodU— Marie-Claude Bibeau (@mclaudebibeau) July 19, 2024
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'Malicious actors' attempting to exploit tech outage. What to know
Malicious actors are attempted to exploit the tech outage by means of phishing emails, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security warns.
Emails purporting to come from CrowdStrike have tried to lure users into downloading malicious files, Sami Khoury, the head of the centre, tells CBC News. Users affected by the outage who are eager to restore services need to be "extremely wary" and verify the provenance of any communications before clicking any links or downloading files, he said.
The Cyber Centre recommends organizations reinforce to employees to only trust recommended sources and to not click links on untrusted or questionable emails.
See AlsoJuly 19, 2024, global tech outage news | CNN BusinessGlobal Windows outage plunged banks, airlines, and more into chaos – here's everything you need to knowMajor global IT outage grounds flights, hits banks and businesses around the worldWhat we know about CrowdStrike's update fail that's causing global outages and travel chaos | TechCrunchClick here for more tips to keep yourself and your data safe.
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Porter Airlines resuming operations amid IT outage
In an update shared Friday afternoon, Porter Airlines announced operations are resuming in the wake of the global tech outage that shuttered operations nationwide earlier in the day.
"The website will be restored when all systems are back online and automated passenger rebooking has begun," reads a statement shared by the airline.
Operations are restarting after today’s third-party system outage affecting multiple global industries.
As systems come online, passengers may check their current flight status on https://t.co/dKln1auJWV or via our mobile app.
— Porter Airlines (@porterairlines) July 19, 2024
As systems come online, the airline urges passengers to check their current flight status on http://flyporter.com or via the mobile app.
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'A fix has been deployed': CrowdStrike working to resolve tech outage
As people worldwide reel from the impacts stemming from a tech outage as a result of a faulty update by CrowdStrike, the issue has been identified and a fix deployed, the company writes in a statement.
"We understand the gravity of the situation and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption. We are working with all impacted customers to ensure that systems are back up," the statement reads.
In their latest statement, CrowdStrike also provided additional information on the issue, and workaround steps organizations can take.
Chase Kell, Chase Kell
Saskatoon transit, Sask. Health Authority impacted by global IT outage
The massive IT outage that's wreaking havoc all over the world hasn't had a huge impact in Saskatchewan, but a few of Saskatoon's public services are reporting issues.
While Saskatoon Transit and Access Transit are still operating, a statement issued on X says both services are experiencing issues with their phone lines.
Saskatoon Transit & Access Transit cannot receive incoming calls due to a widespread Microsoft system outage. Realtime bus locations are unavailable and service alerts cannot be pushed to the app. We are working to resolve the issue, thank you for your patience. pic.twitter.com/2zsW0HEFMJ
— City of Saskatoon (@cityofsaskatoon) July 19, 2024
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is also reporting telecommunication issues, as its healthline 811 was unavailable for several hours on Friday morning. Healthline services have since been restored.
"At this time patients can continue to access emergency or acute care services delivered in SHA facilities," the authority shared with the CBC.
Click here to read more.
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TD Bank Canada customers impacted by global IT outage
TD Bank Canada customers began reporting issues early Friday morning. The bank issued an online statement in the afternoon stating that they were impacted by the tech outage.
"TD has been impacted by the global technology disruption that has affected organizations around the world. Teams are working hard to restore digital systems. TD customers can visit Stores or ATMs," the bank shared in an update to their site.
Please see below for information on impacts to our services experienced today. pic.twitter.com/4XXt5W7Nt4
— TD (Canada) (@TD_Canada) July 19, 2024
Earlier in the day, social media users turned to the X platform as no update had been shared. Many are reporting that the tech outage is impacting direct deposit transactions.
Hey @TD_Canada can you please give any sort of updates on when the systems will be up? I have bills to pay, literally $0 in the bank and would kind of like to have my paycheque…
— yssem issej (@humantrashbag) July 19, 2024
Looks like Canada is affected by this cyber outage. Woke up excited for payday, but looks like direct deposits didn’t got through over night. Hopefully we get some updates today. @TD_Canada #whathappend #outage #CyberSecurity #itoutage
— McWicked (@Mckwicked) July 19, 2024
Another user is reporting that the bank's phone lines are closed as well.
I just called TD Bank for a cross-border transfer, and their phone lines were closed.
— Sasha Hodder (@sashahodler) July 19, 2024
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One major Canadian telecommunications carrier impacted by IT outage
At least one major Canadian telecommunications carrier said the outage had affected its operations.
A spokeswoman for Telus said some of its employees were unable to access "the tools and systems necessary to support our customers." The company was working with "the utmost urgency" to get the systems working again, she said.
A global CrowdStrike software outage is impacting companies around the world. As a result some of TELUS team members are unable to access systems needed to support our customers. We are working urgently to resolve impacts and you can check for updates at https://t.co/xgjsSXzhrw
— TELUS Support (@TELUSsupport) July 19, 2024
Bell and Rogers, two of the other major carriers, are both reporting that their networks are unaffected.
Chase Kell, Chase Kell
Atlantic Canada airports impacted by global IT outage, but situation is improving
With Porter Airlines cancelling all of its flights until 3 p.m. E.T., several airports in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are feeling the impact of today's unprecedented global IT outage.
In N.B., both the Moncton and Fredericton airports are currently impacted by Porter's cancelled flights, but Courtney Burns, CEO of the Greater Moncton International Airport Authority, is urging passengers of all airlines to be prepared for delays.
"Our best advice for passengers today is to check the status of their flight online, directly with their airline," Burns shared with the CBC.
"When coming to the airport, they can anticipate it may take a bit longer than it typically would to get checked into their flight at an airline counter — that may impact more than just our Porter airline passengers."
Click here for more on airport delays in N.B.
It's a similar scene over in Nova Scotia, where there are disruptions, including Porter and several other in U.S. airlines.
However, things seem to be improving in Halifax, as airport officials are reporting the online flight status board, which had been plagued with issues all morning, is up and running again. Yet, despite the positive update, travellers are still being urged to check on the status of their flights directly with their airline.
Click here for more on airport delays in Nova Scotia.
Border crossings in Windsor experience delays due to global IT outage
Windsor police are continuing to warn Canadians of delays at both the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel amid the global IT outage.
Please note that there are currently long delays at both the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge due to the worldwide Microsoft outage. Please avoid both areas if possible. pic.twitter.com/uaV8id29WF
— Windsor Police (@WindsorPolice) July 19, 2024
.@WindsorPolice on scene directing traffic at the Windsor-Detroit tunnel entrance at Wyandotte and Goyeau. Wait times have changed throughout the morning but officials now say 45-60mins to enter the US and less than 10mins to enter Canada. #cklw @AM800CKLW pic.twitter.com/OTlXAmPvEK
— Rob Hindi (@rhindi800) July 19, 2024
Frustration and delays continue for countless travelers at Detroit Metro Airport, the Ambassador Bridge and Windsor Tunnel on Friday, and officials say it's all due to a massive computer outage.
More here: https://t.co/SappPcXmiC
🎥 @reportermikec / @charlielangton pic.twitter.com/OA0pnGP0PC
— WWJ 950 (@WWJ950) July 19, 2024
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Some health networks having issues, as other emergency services largely unaffected
Some health networks in Canada turned to social media to update patients in the wake of the ongoing IT outage. Here are some major hospitals and health networks across the country that have been impacted.
Ontario
The University Health Network (UHN), which includes several hospitals and clinics in Ontario such as Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Western Hospital, announced on Friday that it was affected by the outage.
Advisory: The worldwide CrowdStrike outage is impacting some systems at UHN. Clinical activity is continuing as scheduled, but some patients may experience delays. Please contact your care team with questions. Thank you for your understanding.
— University Health Network (@UHN) July 19, 2024
CHEO, the children's hospital in Ottawa, said it's still providing services but has had to find workarounds where needed.
"We do not anticipate any impact on our services offered to children and their families today," the hospital wrote in a statement.
The Queensway Carleton Hospital said it was also impacted overnight, but its health record system has since been restored and surgeries and appointments aren't impacted.
QCH was impacted by the CrowdStrike issue from 1:30-5:45 am. During that time, we experienced an outage of our health record system. Staff moved to our established downtime procedures. The system has since been restored. There are no impacts to planned surgeries and appointments.
— Queensway Carleton Hospital & Foundation (@QCHOttawa) July 19, 2024
Likewise Glengarry Memorial Hospital in Alexandria, Ont., said it had faced minor disruptions but that the situation was improving.
Meanwhile, the Montfort Hospital in Ottawa said all its systems are functioning and appointments are happening as normal.
Ottawa police, paramedics and firefighters all told CBC they're unaware of any problems due to the outage.
Newfoundland
In an update shared Friday morning, NL Health Services announced they too were impacted by the global IT outage.
"NL Health Services has implemented contingency plans and is focused on the delivery of emergency care as we work with our global partners to resolve the outage," the network shared in a statement.
British Columbia
Vancouver Coast Health, which encompasses numerous health networks in British Columbia, including Mount St. Joseph Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital, reported being affected by the outage.
The B.C. health system has been impacted by the global Crowdstrike disruption. Please contact your provider if you have any questions about your care delivery today.
— Vancouver Coastal Health (@VCHhealthcare) July 19, 2024
Manitoba
On the Dyncare website, it states, “Global IT issues are impacting Dynacare systems. All Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia locations are closed. We are working to reopen as soon as possible."
Yahoo Canada
Vote: Have you been impacted by the Global IT outage?
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Porter flights cancelled as Toronto hit by IT issue
Porter Airlines has cancelled all of its flights until at least 3 p.m. E.T. today in the wake of the global technology outage.
Porter announced it is working on a plan for its passengers. You can find more information here.
"Passengers cannot be rebooked while systems are offline. The rebooking process will take a period of time, with new flights confirmed over a number of days due to high passenger volume," Porter said in a statement.
"Further delays and cancellations are possible."
Porter's not the only airline that may be affected. A spokesperson from Toronto's Pearson Airport told CBC News the impacts varied "airline to airline," with Air Canada, Westjet, Sunwing and Flair's flights on track but several American carriers seeing disruptions.
"We are continuing to work with our airline partners as the global IT outage impacts some airlines. Travellers may notice the terminals are busier than normal this morning as we anticipate connecting 135,000 passengers today," Pearson said in a statement.
Chase Kell
Canadians react to unprecedented global internet outage
The global IT outage that has heavily affected airlines, banks and media outlets around the world has made an impact on many Canadians. As is tradition, Canadians have taken to X (formerly known as Twitter) to voice their concerns and displeasure of this massive internet outage.
Due to network outages from multiple companies, my flight was canceled. I am now waiting for further instructions from here on out. I don't know what is going to happen, but I have to get back to Canada somehow. 😑 pic.twitter.com/FQM2Fpdrdq
— NAT8 @ Japan 🇯🇵 ✈️ Canada 🇨🇦 (July 20th) (@ProjectNAT8) July 19, 2024
Looks like Canada is affected by this cyber outage. Woke up excited for payday, but looks like direct deposits didn’t got through over night. Hopefully we get some updates today. @TD_Canada #whathappend #outage #CyberSecurity #itoutage
— McWicked (@Mckwicked) July 19, 2024
A worldwide computer outage is hitting Canada too, and our computers here at @CityNewsKIT. We will do what we can to be on-air this morning at 5:00 with all your top stories of the day, with traffic and weather together on the one’s. Your patience is appreciated. https://t.co/rGCTCz9uTl
— Mark Douglas (@DouglasCityNews) July 19, 2024
Global IT Outage - yep Canada too
Hope you're not closing on a real estate deal today or trying to fly home for the weekend. pic.twitter.com/MZAajVQIUP— Brian Smith - #Biden/Harris2024 🌊🌊🌊 (@Quicklitning) July 19, 2024
It’s taking me 3 days to get to Canada from Massachusetts thanks to Jet Blue, @porterairlines cancellations & now #outage.
— Anne McMaster (@SheikaMcMaster) July 19, 2024
I am waiting for my deposits and stripe payouts and it’s not there.Apparently they have an outage@TD_Canada will you respond?
— Ania Karwowska 🇵🇱🇪🇺🍁 (@annarzepeckaka1) July 19, 2024
While many Canadians have been impacted by today's events, others haven't seen a significant impact at all.
Waiting for this outage to hit Canada. pic.twitter.com/PLlk6WP3eD
— Darth Hater (@youngabuela) July 19, 2024
Did the it outage just skip Canada?
— Kendra (@sniperofmyheart) July 19, 2024
Canada needn’t worry about tech outages. Still over here using snail mail. We good 🙋🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/c0ovoPM6aD
— Eman 🌻 (@_Eman1111_) July 19, 2024
Global IT outage hits Canada: What we know so far
Here's what we have confirmed is impacted in Canada:
Toronto Pearson International Airport and Montréal–Trudeau International Airport both said the outage could lead to flight delays and cancellations.
Porter Airlines said it was cancelling its flights until 3 p.m. E.T. due to the outage.
University Health Network, one of Canada's largest hospital networks, said some of its systems had been affected by the outage.
The Canada Border Services Agency said it had experienced a partial systems outage of its telephone reporting system, primarily used by small aircraft passengers and boaters, that had since been resolved.
Windsor police reported long delays at both the Canada-United States border crossings at the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel.
Banks in Canada were "reviewing the situation based on updates from their technology partners," a spokeswoman for the Canadian Bankers Association said.
The government of Newfoundland and Labrador advised "users of its digital platforms" of possible service disruptions.
